The present invention relates to a read sensor and a management system that are used to read information stored in radio tags and/or the like in a non-contact manner.
In recent years, management systems to manage articles by attaching radio tags to the articles to store on an article management shelf have come to be known. If articles can be managed by means of radio tags like this, it is possible to reduce the cost of labor, effort and working time required for the management of articles significantly.
Under this circumstance, patent literature 1 discloses a management system that has a radio tag which is attached to an article to store, in which dedicated information is stored, and which is capable of non-contact communication, a loop antennas that communicates with the radio tag in a non-contact manner using a magnetic field, and a management means that manages the dedicated information acquired from the radio tag via the loop antenna. The method of communicating with radio tags using a magnetic field, disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-72919, is generally used when acquiring data from radio tags that are close in distance.
Also, a method of communicating with radio tags by means of a dipole antenna using an electric field has been known heretofore. In comparison with the method of communicating with radio tags using a magnetic field, the method of communicating with radio tags using an electric field is generally used when acquiring data from radio tags that are far in distance.
In this way, heretofore, when acquiring data from radio tags, communication with the radio tags has been conducted using either a magnetic field or an electric field, depending on the purpose.